Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, generator, gearbox, nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known foil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy so as to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy. A power converter typically regulates the flow of electrical power between the generator and a grid.
The various components of a wind turbine system, including the wind turbine components and the electrical system components, are often subject to design constraints that serve to limit the operational ranges for such components at given operating conditions for the system. Thus, when the system operating conditions are such that a system component(s) is operating outside the operational range(s) provided by the component's design constraints, it is often necessary to de-rate the wind turbine.
Conventional de-rating methods often utilize a single predetermined de-rating curve across which the wind turbine is de-rated. However, it is not possible to select a single de-rating curve to account for the wide range of operating conditions encountered during operation of a wind turbine system. As such, the predetermined de-rating curve can only be optimized for a small portion of the potential system operating conditions. Moreover, since each predetermined de-rating curve is unique to a given wind turbine, a significant amount of engineering time is typically required to develop a de-rating curve that is specifically tailored for each wind turbine. For example, the development of each de-rating curve is often an iterative process that must take into account aspects of component loading, system controls limitations, electrical component capabilities and/or the like. As a result, the development process of often quite challenging and time consuming.
Accordingly, a system and method for controlling a wind turbine system that simplifies that manner in which a wind turbine may be de-rated to account for design constraints of the various system components would be welcomed in the technology.